Richard Binder specializes in repair and maintenance of old and valuable pens. Recommendations for those pens don't necessarily apply to cheaper modern fountain pens. I've been using Noodler's inks for about 8 years in a Lamy Safari, and I've never had any trouble. The only Noodler's ink I've heard of causing problems with these pens is Bay State Blue, which is unlike any other Noodler's ink.
I personally recommend Noodler's Bulletproof Black. It writes consistently and reliably on any paper I've tried, it's waterproof, and it's reasonably priced. If you're interested in fountain pens as a hobby rather than as practical writing implements you might have different recommendations.
Same here, been using it for years in Lamy Safari, Shaeffer 100, and Noodler's own pens, as well as Preppy Platinums. Would I put it in a vintage pen? Absolutely not. Modern <$100 pen? Most definitely.
I'll go a little further. I've been using Noodler's inks, mostly Heart of Darkness (which is bulletproof), for several years. I started with a TWSBI but when I upgraded to a Pilot Vanishing Point I continued to use Noodler's without any hesitation. It's continued to serve me well, and it remains my favorite and most dependable brand of ink.
I did have one mold issue with Private Reserve in my TWSBI, and to be safe I have avoided using it in my Vanishing Point. I may be being overcautious though; I'm not sure how much to extrapolate from that one incident. My mother is an artist and has used several dozen Private Reserve inks spanning over a decade, all without any issues.
Same here, I haven't had a problem with any modern pens. I have Jinhaos, WingSungs, and a few Pilot Kakünos and Metropolitans.
I'm 2 years in and I think I'd just designate a pen to be dedicated to the known Noodler's "problematic" colors(BSB and Mass 54th). I just cleaned out 4 pens, some of which had dried ink in them, all of them were fine.
I'm partial to Noodler's Heart of Darkness and X-Feather.
The entry level Pilot, Parker and Lamy pens are pretty reliable, for between $20-50. I started with a Parker Jotter medium nib years ago, and it remains one of my favorite writers.
(ed: I’ve had magnificent $3 chinese pens, awful $3 chinese pens, and some that can be improved with fiddling. Most Americans prefer broader, more “buttery” writing, which can be hard to get from the average Chinese nib. For most beginners, then, I’d say get a basic medium nib pen from an American/European/Japanese brand.)
If you're just looking to dip a toe in the water, Pilot Varsity is a disposable fountain pen that can be had for $2-3 in the US, though it's usually sold in multi packs. IMO, it's a decent writer for the price (and the only disposable I've tried and would recommend), and lasts long enough to see whether you'll get comfortable with the way a fountain pen behaves.
Refillable pens can be had for not a whole lot more, but the ink reservoir will be smaller, so, even though they usually come with a free cartridge or two, you may end up wanting to buy a few extra cartridges or a bottle of ink in order to get enough writing time to really get a feel for the pen.
Lamy Safari and TWSBI Eco are two popular starter pens, both around $25-30. The Lamy takes cartridges and the TWSBI is a "piston filler" with a reservoir filled directly from a bottle of ink.
On the slightly cheaper side, the Pilot MR is usually a bit under $20. It's more of a traditional fountain pen look. Pilot Metropolitan is a common name for it (or more specifically a type or MR, just different color/pattern options IIRC).
Then there's all the Chinese pens, some of these are fine but it's hit or miss. I'd suggest sticking with a known manufacturer for a first pen since they have better quality control (especially on the nibs).
Be wary of buying pens on Amazon, their counterfeiting problem extends to fountain pens. Pen retailers like JetPens or Goulet Pen Company are safer since you know they're coming through the real distribution channel.
I personally recommend Noodler's Bulletproof Black. It writes consistently and reliably on any paper I've tried, it's waterproof, and it's reasonably priced. If you're interested in fountain pens as a hobby rather than as practical writing implements you might have different recommendations.